Gunsights for Jesus

New Zealand has announced that it is removing those pesky Bible codes from the Trijocon weapons sights carried into battle by its troops in Afghanistan. They’re inappropriate and could stoke religious tensions. OMG. I was kind of hoping for a move in the opposite direction.

Like, remember Roland’s sword Durendal? Its golden hilt was equipped with a tooth of Saint Peter’s, blood from Saint Basil, some of Saint Denis’ hair, and a swatch of the Virgin Mary’s dress. Now that’s spiritual hardware!

But come to think of it, Roland’s little crusading venture over the Pyrenees didn’t turn out so well. Ambushed by a bunch of Basque montagnards, he couldn’t manage to break the sword to keep it from falling into enemy hands, and had to content himself with hiding it under his body as he died. Maybe the religiously correct spoilsports from down under know something the U.S. Army doesn’t.

Mark Silk is Professor of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College and director of the college's Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life. He is a Contributing Editor of the Religion News Service